krueg-er



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. O. KRUEGER. LEATHER STRETOHING MACHINE.

' Patentedfeb. 9, 1886.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. 0. KRUEGER. LEATHER STRBTGHING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

p w w 6 W M v v H w M W U w U m 5 a H .1 P \1 m I 5 Q vw D u v D BN IJ .il mm w W, w%a%w N As * -\-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST C. KRUEGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHICAGO RAW-HIDE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

strain required during the stretching opera- LEATHER-STRETCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,595, dated February 9, 1886.

Application filed June 23, 1885. Serial No. 169,491. No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUST 0. KRUEGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-Stretching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in leather-stretching machines in which one of a pair of opposing tongs for gripping the leather has been connected by a belt or strap with a Windlass actuated by hand to stretch the leather.

The essential object of this invention is to dispense with handlabor for stretchingleathers and utilize steam or other mechanical power for that purpose.

A further object is to provide a pcv-r-machine of the simplest possible construction for stretching leather, which machine shall be fully under the control of the operator in determining the desired degreeof stretching, whereby an over amount of stretching suffi- I cient to unduly strain or tear the leather is avoided.

A further object is to have one of the tongs I automatically actuated, so that it will normally assume its original position for gripping the leather immediately it is relieved of the tion. I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stretching machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an enlarged detail perspective showing the construction of the bed-plate for the tongs and the track and guide-slot for the same; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the machine; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail section on the line at w of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, asimilar section on the liney 3 Fig. 3,- Fig. 6, a detail section on the line 2 z of Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a view of the eccentric bearing and lever for actuating the same, detached; Fig. 8, a similar view with the eccentric bearing in end elevation.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The table A is supported by parallel stand ards or posts B at one end, and similar posts,

fbed-plate having formed therewith lugs 11 d, 'projecting down into the slot, to form guides for the reciprocating movement of the bedplate.

To prevent wearing the table and to decrease friction, a track, 6, consisting of a 6 metal plate countersunk in the table, may be employed for the bed-plate to slide upon. The rear extremities of the tong-levers are provided with eyes to receive a looped strap, one of which straps, f, has its end secured to a short cross-shaft, g, seated upon a headblock, it, guided in a box, z, and seated upon the spring 6, so that when the tong is under strain the spring will be compressed, and when released from strain the spring will return the tong to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The prime object, however, in springseating the tong is to have it yield when first under strain, so as to avoid jerking the leather, and at the same time provide for taking up the stretch of the leather during the stretching operation, and I therefore do not limit myself to the special devices shown for spring-seating the tongs, for it is obvious that any other well-known form of spring-seating devices 8 would answer the same purpose. The other tong is secured to a similar loop, j, formed in a strap, D, of suitable length, wound around a shaft, E, which is slotted, as shown in Fig.

4, to receive and lock the end of the strap 90 thereto in the usual manner for securing straps to slotted shafts or drums, one end of said shaft having secured thereon a friction-pulley, F, which is upon the front side of the machine.

Below and parallel with the shaft E is a 5 shaft, G, the rear end of which is journaled in a box, It, and carries a pulley, H, which is connected bya belt, I, with some suitable tongs.

powcrshaft. (Notnecessarytobcshowm) The other end of the shaft G has its bearing in an eccentric hearing or hub, J, supported in a box, I, and actuated by a bent hand-lever, K,

which is maintained in an elevated position by means of a cord, at, elevated pulley 0, and a weight, 1),- but may be spring-seated, if preferred. On the outer end of the shaft G is a friction-pulley, L, which may be of paper, leather, or any of the other materials usually employed for such wheels.

When the hand-lever is in an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen by reference to Fig. 5 that the friction-pulleys are not in contact, and it is while in this position that a piece of leather is placed upon the table and its opposite edges grasped'by the After the tongs have the leather in their grasp, the hand-lever is depressed by the operator, and by this means the eccentric hub is turned in its bearing, so as to elevate the shaft G, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5, and bring the friction-pulley thereof in contact with the pulley F, causing the same to rotate, so as to wind the strap on its shaft and draw the tong thereof away from the opposingtong.

The hand-lever is in such position that the operat or may stand in a position convenient both for handling the leather and manipulating the lever, and the normal position of the eccentric hub is such that the desired degree of frictionbetween the two wheels is always under full control of the operator, and may be increased or diminished at will during the stretching operation, thereby enabling him to increase or diminish the rapidity of the operation, and also the degree of force applied at any time during the act of stretching the leather, while at the same time the leather is continually under his inspection.

Gears, instead of friction-wheels, may be employed; but in practice the latter are preferred, for the reason that the strain upon the leather by the employment of friction-wheels is more than is possible by the use of gears, which necessarily would actuate the stretching devices with a jerk at the start, liable not only to strip the teeth,but to overstretch or tear the leather during the operation; and in this connection it may be observed that when friction-wheels .tion for several -,months.

are employed the resistance of the lever during the stretching operation quite accurately indicates to the operator the strain being exerted upon the leather, which, if too great, can

be decreased to any degree by more or less decreasing the hand-pressure on the lever.

Other advantages common to my machine are, that with a less number of attendants more leather can bebett'e'r stretched in the same time, and with infinitely less labor than is pos- 6o sible in any of the hand stretching-machines, as I have practically demonstrated by a fullsize machine which has been in daily opera- Furthermore, I have demonstrated satisfactorily that leather stretched upon my machineis of better quality than when hand-stretched, as before described.

In conclusion, it may be observedftha t the eccentric hub may be upon and constitute a bearing for the winding shaft or drum,instead of the drive-shaft, without a substantial departure from my invention, for in either case the operation of the eccentric would be the same; but the construction shown is preferred, because the hand-lever is in a more conven- .ient position for the operator.

Having described my invent-ion, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In aleather-stretching machine, thewind- 8o ing' shaft or drum, a friction or gear wheel thereon, a drive-shaft, and a'friction or gearj wheel thereon, in combination with a shifting mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the winding and drive shafts, all arranged 'suhstantially as set forth.

2. The winding-drum, the friction-pulley thereon, the drive-shaft, and the friction-pulley thereof, in combination with an eccentric hub, constituting a bearing for the drive-shaft, and a lever for actuating said eccentric, all

arranged as and for the purpose described;

3. Inaleather-stretching machine, a pair of opposing tongs, in combination withaspringseating device, substantially as described, for 5 one of said tongs.

' AUGUST 0. KRUEGER.

Witnesses:

WILL R. OMOBEUNDRO, W. W. ELLIOTT. 

